Three-Dimensional Measurements of Nanometer-Thick Lubricant Films Using Low-Coherence Phase-Shifting Interferometry

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	Zhang, Hedong Mitsuya, Yasunaga Banno, Takahiro Fukuzawa, Kenji
Copyright Year	2007
Abstract	We have developed a method utilizing low-coherence phase-shifting interferometry (LCPSI) to directly visualize molecularly thin lubricant films coated on diamond-like carbon (DLC) surfaces. In contrast to conventional point-by-point scanning methods, this method straightforwardly measures lubricant distributions in three dimensions using phase-shifted two-dimensional interferograms which are generated by a Michelson interferometer and a robust feedback controlled phase-shifting system. To effectively suppress the image noise caused by unwanted interference, we employed a low-coherence light source rather than a laser. Moreover, an image subtraction method, in which the pseudo lubricant thickness attributed to surface roughness and system noise is first measured on a non-lubricated disk and is then subtracted from the result obtained on the lubricated disk, was introduced to eliminate the influence of surface roughness and system noise. By measuring nanometer-thick perfluoropolyether films coated on DLC surfaces, we demonstrated that the LCPSI is capable of providing real-time three-dimensional measurements with a thickness resolution of sub-nanometer and a spatial resolution of several micrometers.
Starting Page	1862
Ending Page	1868
Page Count	7
File Format	PDF HTM / HTML
DOI	10.1299/kikaic.73.1862
Volume Number	73
Alternate Webpage(s)	https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/kikaic1979/73/730/73_730_1862/_pdf/-char/en
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article